Pakistan condemns 'extra-judicial' killings of Kashmiris

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Tuesday condemned what it termed "the extra-judicial killing" of two Kashmiris in Indian-administered Kashmir.

"The impunity granted to Indian occupation forces has resulted in the systematic targeting of Kashmiri youth through extra-judicial killings, torture in custody, enforced disappearances and incarcerations under the cover of draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA], Public Safety Act [PSA] and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act [UAPA]," said a Foreign Ministry statement.

Islamabad said it has consistently emphasized that the "gross and systematic" violations of human rights being perpetrated by Indian forces warrant an investigation by a UN Commission of Inquiry, as recommended by the OHCHR in its reports of 2018 and 2019.

It called for an independent inquiry under international scrutiny to investigate the "unabated extra-judicial killings of Kashmiris by Indian Occupation Forces and to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice."

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan valley, is split between Pakistan and India in parts with both claiming it in full.

The two nuclear neighbors have fought two full-scale wars, in 1948 and 1965, and a three-week-long Kargil skirmish in 1999, over Kashmir.

Several Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.